The
Smart Way to Eat Fast Food
By Rallie McAllister
If you find that the very survival
of you and your kids seems to depend on the occasional consumption
of fast food, you don't have to cut it out all together. You just
have to make judicious, nutritious choices.
Order food to go.
You can reduce the associated fat and calorie content to a significant
degree by eating the food at home rather than at the restaurant
or atop the dashboard dining facilities in your car. Studies show
that people tend to consume more food when they're eating away
from their own kitchen tables. When you bring fast foods home,
you can supplement the meal with side orders of fresh fruits and
vegetables, saving yourself 15 to 30 grams of fat by simply foregoing
the fries. Instead of guzzling the 32-ounce soda that comes with
the meal, you can opt for a glass of water, saving yourself around
300 calories and several tablespoons of sugar.
Avoid buffets.
If you want to keep your fast food and your good health, avoid
all-you-can-eat buffets like the scourges to humanity that they
are. If this type of establishment holds any appeal for you at
all, you might be able to diminish it a significant degree just
by spending a few minutes in the parking lot, watching the portly
patrons come and go. Chances are that you won't see too many thin,
healthy-looking folks frequenting these modern-day shrines to
gluttony.
Forego the fries.
When you're eating out, you'll have some important decisions to
make. A super-sized serving of french fries may have as many as
30 grams of fat. For some folks, this is almost an entire day's
supply. Are the fries worth it? If they aren't, you'll need to
forget the fries and stick with the leaner choices on the menu.
Stick to the "light"
menu. Most fast food restaurants offer "light"
menus and low-fat selections. You're always better off choosing
from among these items. Fried foods and those served with high-fat
condiments like mayonnaise, "special" sauce and tarter
sauce need to be approached with extreme caution. If the restaurant
doesn't offer a light menu, your best bet is to choose salads
with low-fat dressings or grilled chicken sandwiches. When it
comes to ordering soups, choose the broth-based varieties rather
than those that are cream-based.
Editor’s note: Try
to find the nutritional content chart and information to make
more informed choices. Some fast food salads with dressing are
shown to have as much or more fat than most of the menu items.
Don't be afraid to special
order. Wherever you end up eating, ask for all condiments
to be served on the side rather than slathered on your food by
the chef, who is likely to be as indifferent to the lining of
your arteries as he is to the circumference of your waistline.
A single tablespoon of regular mayonnaise or salad dressing contains
about 9 grams of fat and 100 calories, so you'll want to use these
condiments sparingly, if at all. And although vegetables are usually
safe choices, their nutritional value is significantly diminished
if they're overcooked to the point of disintegration or if they're
swimming in lakes of oil or butter. Ask for your vegetables to
be served plain and lightly steamed, so that they'll be reasonably
nutritious and free of added fat.
Fear the fryer.
While fish and chicken entrees sound nutritionally safe, you have
to pay attention to the methods in which they are prepared. The
fried versions of either food put them in the same class as burgers,
and drowning fish or chicken in creamy sauces or butter can demote
them to the nutritional status of high-fat desserts. To ensure
that they remain low in fat and cholesterol, order your fish or
chicken entrees baked or grilled.
Take charge of your plate.
Even when you're dining at restaurants that don't offer super-sized
versions of their normal fare, you can bet that a "single"
serving still provides enough calories for at least two meals.
The average restaurant meal contains around 1,500 calories, even
minus the bread and dessert. It’s a good rule of thumb to
leave at least one-third of the meal on your plate -- some for
Mr. Manners and the rest for Mrs. Health. Or you can eat half
of your meal while you're at the restaurant and save the other
half for the next day's lunch.
It's always a good idea to opt for smaller portions than the ones
provided, and you can be fairly certain that you won't run the
risk of starving. Some restaurants are happy to oblige your request
for half-orders. If they aren't, you can try ordering a child's
plate of the same meal. If that doesn't work, you and your dinner
date can always share an entree.
If you feel that you must indulge
in a food that is high in fat and calories, don't make matters
worse by committing the twin sins of eating the wrong kind of
food and eating too much of it. As you lose weight and
gain health, you'll be pleased to find that savoring just a few
bites of a tasty treat is often just as satisfying as a half-pound
serving. It's definitely less guilt-provoking.
© Rallie McAllister; excerpted
from Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You
and Your Kids Trim
Rallie
McAllister, M.D., the author of “Healthy Lunchbox: The Working
Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim” (LifeLine
Press, September 2003), runs a family practice specializing in
nutrition, wellness and weight loss called Healthy Solutions in
Kingsport, Tennessee. Dr. McAllister is the creator and popular
host of Rallie On Health, a health magazine TV show with over
1 million viewers in the five-state area of eastern Tennessee.
Millions across the country also know her for her weekly nationally
syndicated column "Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister."
Dr. McAllister lives with her husband and three children in Kingsport,
Tennessee. Visit Rallie at www.rallieonhealth.com.
